Proverb Related Tales
(7) Tugging Rice Seedlings to Hurry Growth
There was an impatient farmer long ago who had wished the rice plants in his field to grow quickly.
He ignored the fact that rice plants take time to grow and ripe. He believed that he could make his own wish come true.
One day he thought he had an effective scheme. He went into the field and pulled every one of the rice seedlings a bit higher.
He came home exhausted. But he gladly told his family: “What a wonderful thing I did today. All the rice seedlings have now grown taller!”
His son was immediately alarmed. He ran to the fields and saw in horror that many of the rice seedlings had begun to wither.
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Note: This is an English rewrite of an allegorical tale from the book《孟子》Mencius. The original title (拔苗助長) has become a proverb to mean “blind impatience is but counterproductive.
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Proverb Related Tales
(8) Speak with a Purpose
Long ago, Mo Zi (墨子), the great philosopher and teacher, was asked by one of his students: “Sir, is being loquacious a virtue?”
“No.” Mo Zi replied
“Take those frogs in the pond as an example,” he continued, “They croak all days and nights and people ignore them. On the other hand, a rooster crows two or three times at dawn, and people listen with gratitude because it announces the beginning of a new day.”
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Note: This allegorical story is written on the basis of a proverbial phrase contained in the book《墨子》Mo Zi. The original phrase (言約意清) teaches people to speak with a sure purpose and be sparing in the use of words.